


At the Crossroads

by slightlytookish



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-07
Updated: 2013-06-07
Packaged: 2017-12-14 06:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/833567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loras rolled his eyes. The guy was attractive, he supposed, but not nearly enough to justify the way the barista was practically swooning over him – although, <i>the most gorgeous man Loras had ever seen</i> would have been a more accurate way to describe him if Loras was being truly honest with himself and not feeling so cranky due to his lack of caffeine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Crossroads

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the "free space" square on my trope_bingo card.

The queue at the Crossroads Café stretched to the door, and Loras might have turned around and left if he wasn't still half asleep with a full day of lectures ahead of him. Caffeine in a drip would have been ideal; a latte with three shots of espresso was the next best thing.

By the time he reached the front he had managed to pry his eyes open enough to order. Arya was working quickly at the till, as she always did, but Gendry wasn't there today. Instead there was a new barista by the espresso machine, a tall woman with a freckled face and large eyes that kept wandering over to the guy leaning against the counter and chatting with her animatedly.

_I suppose this explains the endless queue_ , Loras thought as he found a spot nearby to wait. And wait. And wait some more. He checked the time on his mobile; if he didn't hurry he would be late for his first lecture. The chatty guy was still there, and still waiting for his coffee too. Like Loras, he probably was a student, if his overstuffed rucksack was any indication. But unlike Loras he was doing a fine job of distracting the barista, who was so busy ogling him that she knocked over a cup that Loras strongly suspected contained his latte and had to start over, blushing hard enough for her freckles to all but disappear. 

Loras rolled his eyes. The guy was attractive, he supposed, but not nearly enough to justify the way she was practically swooning over him – although, _the most gorgeous man Loras had ever seen_ would have been a more accurate way to describe him if Loras was being truly honest with himself and not feeling so cranky due to his lack of caffeine. 

It was his eyes, Loras decided, casting a few sneaky glances of his own – even in the dim lighting of the coffee shop they still managed to look bright, and they crinkled at the edges whenever the guy smiled or laughed (which happened often). It was a pleasant sort of laugh, Loras supposed, the kind that made others want to join in even if they didn't know what they were supposed to be laughing about. Loras even found himself smiling a little as he listened to the constant stream of jests and idle chatter, until he remembered that he was still waiting for his coffee and arranged his face into a frown instead.

Finally, _finally_ , the barista called his name. Loras practically dived for his cup, muttering a quick word of thanks as he hurried to the door. If he ran he would probably be just a few minutes late and yet he couldn't help pausing just outside to take a quick, fortifying sip of coffee – before almost gagging on the unexpected and sickly sweet taste of caramel.

Loras squinted down at his cup just to be certain that he hadn't grabbed the wrong one but sure enough, his name was scrawled on the side. _That new girl must have been so preoccupied with that flirting idiot that she completely mixed up the orders_ , he grumbled to himself. _I should have known that something like this would happen._

With an irritable sigh he turned on his heel, about to go back for a replacement, when he was nearly knocked over by the same guy from the coffee shop.

"Sorry!" he said, laughing as he grabbed Loras' arm to steady him. He thrust a cup with the name 'Renly' scribbled along the side under Loras' nose. "I was hoping I'd find you. I think we've got each other's coffees. Don't worry, I didn't drink yours, I just opened the lid to add some sugar and I noticed-"

"Hang on," Loras said, pointing to his cup. "Did you order this caramel… thing?"

Renly nodded.

"And you were going to add sugar to it? It's sweet enough already!"

Renly laughed again. 

Loras blinked. _Does he laugh at everything?_ he wondered. _How could anyone be so cheerful this early in the morning?_

"I know, I know," Renly said, looking sheepish. "I've got a terrible sweet tooth. When I opened the lid I didn't see any caramel sauce, and I knew I'd asked Brienne for extra, so I figured that she gave me your drink by mistake. So… do you want to swap? You seemed like you were in a hurry."

Loras smiled gratefully. "Thanks," he said, holding out the caramel monstrosity and doing his best to ignore the warmth of Renly's fingers brushing against his own as they exchanged cups. "You've saved my day, really. I'd have no hope of getting through the morning without this coffee."

Renly's eyes crinkled in the way that Loras had already decided was absolutely not adorable. "Me too – well, not without my daily sugar fix, that is." 

Loras knew that he really ought to go and yet he found himself lingering. "Did you say the new girl's name is Brienne? I don't think she'll keep her job for very long if you keep distracting her with your flirting." 

Renly looked genuinely astonished. "But I wasn't! It's her first day and she seemed so nervous that I thought she needed some cheering up, and... I thought I was just being friendly and encouraging?" 

Loras grinned. "Did you really not notice the way she was looking at you? I was waiting for her to leap over the espresso machine and pounce on you."

Now it was Renly's turn to blush. It made his eyes look even lovelier in the early morning sunlight, and Loras tried to ignore that, too. "Well, this is awkward. I feel like I should go back and apologise to her but that would probably make things worse, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Loras said, still smiling. "It probably would."

Renly hung his head in shame. "I suppose that's my cue to go now, before I make an even bigger mess of things."

"I wouldn't say that," Loras said, and when had his mood turned around so thoroughly? He had been convinced that he was having the worst sort of day before Renly caught up with him. "I've got a two hour lecture on Chaucer this morning. Reuniting me with my coffee is nothing short of heroic."

"Two hours of Chaucer? Are you sure you don't want something stronger than that?" he asked, and just like that he was smiling again. Loras was beginning to suspect that a smile was never absent from Renly's face for very long. "I'm Renly, by the way, though I think you already saw that on the cup." 

"I did, but it's still nice to meet you properly," he replied. Loras was so late now that another few minutes in Renly's company surely wouldn't make a difference – although, by this point, he was past caring. "I'm Loras."

They spoke briefly about university; it turned out that Renly was studying art, which explained why Loras had never seen him in any of his lectures.

"I'm going to the studio now," Renly said. "We've got an exhibit next week so things are a little mad at the moment. Hence the need for coffee." 

"About that," Loras said. "I'm sorry but I drank a bit of it before. I could get you another one right now, if you'd like."

"And keep you from Chaucer? Nah, it's fine."

"But-"

"Don't worry," Renly said. "As far as I'm concerned, you improved it." And then he winked – actually winked! – at Loras' surprised expression before taking a sip.

"Is that your idea of intentional flirting?" Loras asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe," Renly said with a grin. 

"Can anyone go to your exhibit?"

Renly seemed confused by the sudden change in subject. "Yeah, it's open to the public. Why?"

"I'll see you there, then," Loras said, before leaning in for a kiss.

Renly's lips were soft against his own and tasted of caramel, but this time Loras didn't mind. And if, after the kiss ended and they finally parted ways, the smile remained on his face and there was an extra bounce in his step, well, Loras couldn't help it if he was in a good mood.


End file.
